


Healing the Cracks

by orphan_account



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Suicide Attempt, despite how much she tries to hide it, tissaia cares, trigger warnings in place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-04-21 08:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22055011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: !Trigger warnings for attempted suicide!This fic is set in episode 2, and is an extension of the scene where Yennefer attempts to commit suicide, following through some of the recovery.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own The Witcher

She watched with almost morbid fascination as the glass cut through her wrists, leaving jagged, crimson lines in their absence. Pools upon pools of red liquid began to gush out of these wounds as Yennefer dropped the glass, shattering on the stone ground, as the shock of what she had just done struck her. Her eyes flickered slightly before she fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Tissaia had been in her room, studying a tome on various incantations when something suddenly felt off. Her thoughts flickered to her 6 charges that had begun today, and as the feeling didn’t leave her, she rose from her chair with a sense of urgency, pulling her cloak around her shoulders as she blew her candle out. 

She hurried through the maze of corridors of Aretuza, soon reaching the one containing the student’s rooms. She felt drawn to Yennefer’s room, and figured she should be checked on first if her volatile and emotional behaviour of the day thus far from the journey was to be reconsidered. She twisted the door handle to no avail. She swore under her breath as she realised it was locked.

She muttered a quick spell and the door swung open of its own accord, as she decided not to waste time searching her pockets for her set of keys. Dread washed over her as she noticed the pale, limp body laid on the stone ground. She sprinted over to the fallen Yennefer, and noticed that her purple eyes had closed and her face had turned multiple shades paler since she had last seen the young girl.

She grabbed a hold of the girl’s wrists and dipped her other hand in the pool of crimson blood, attempting a blood-staunching spell. It worked as the blood from the pool vanished and the wound began to slow in it’s bleeding. Not slow enough for Tissaia, who preceded to rip the bottom of the bed linen in front of her and wrap it tightly around her wrists, a crimson stain appearing on it almost instantaneously.

She figured lifting the girl would place her in no immediate danger, so pulled her gently into her arms. Surprise hit her at just how light the girl before her was, and a new wave of hate for her ‘father’ flooded her at the state of malnourishment she was in. She understood even further why her magic seemed to be showing less than the other girls, with her confidence issues and weak physical health it was no surprise.

She carried the girl’s body back into the corridor, thankful that none of the other girls decided to venture out of their rooms and witness her carrying the ‘piglet’s’ bleeding body. The brunette knew the other girls were okay as the feeling left her the instant she had found Yennefer. She continued past the stone walls until she made it to her own personal chambers, deciding it would be the easiest way to ensure her student’s health.

Tissaia laid the girl into the spare room in her chambers, which managed to always successfully double as a room for ill or injured students to temporarily reside. Tissaia took a seat near the bed and observed the girl with an almost sympathetic gaze. That she had sought this type of serious action at such a young age was always a tragedy, and De Vries couldn’t help but blame herself partially. 

That she had purchased her for such a small price was surely a heavy blow to what she had no doubt was a non-existent self-esteem. However, she placed a large portion of blame on the pig of a father. How she had survived that long living with him, she had little idea. She figured he had found her important enough to live in that she could perform the menial tasks for him. She’d pay triple the price of the girl to see his face if he knew she was in fact a witch, and a damn powerful one if her senses were correct.

She left the room temporarily to ensure the other girls were okay and to grab her book on healing. She resumed her seat at the bedside and read up more on how to heal the girl next to her, checking she was still breathing every few minutes.

She was disturbed after an hour of reading, for she had not found anything she dared try, to a sudden cry of pain and shock.  
“Try not to panic, you’re in my chambers. You attempted to kill yourself,” Tissaia spoke as she placed her book down and moved closer to the girl.  
“How long?” Yennefer asked in regards to her unconsciousness.  
“About one and a half hours. It’s only this soon that you’ve awoke because I stopped the majority of the bleeding,”  
“You should have just left me. I want to die,” Yennefer muttered darkly, ignoring the older woman next to her.  
“Do you know how many people wouldn't blink if you died?” Tissaia questioned the young girl, “It’s up to you to prove them wrong, that you have a life that you will continue to live,”

“It was the one thing I had control of, and you managed to take that away too,”  
“Your father is the one to blame for your presence here, not me. He could have quite easily refused my offer and kept you there, but he didn’t. Now tell me, would you rather be shoveling pig shit, or be learning how to develop and control your magic?” Tissaia spoke harshly.  
“Neither. I don’t want to have to put up with you or my father. At least then I might not be degraded whenever I’m referred to,” Yennefer muttered as she stared daggers at the rectoress.  
“Get some rest, Yennefer, you’ll need it,” The brunette told her stiffly before grabbing her book and closing the door behind her.


	2. 2

Tissaia marched back into the room in a matter of hours later. She regarded the girl laid in the bed with a piercing gaze. It appeared that Yennefer had obliged the older woman’s words as she laid snoring lightly. Tissaia slammed the door behind her, which worked in waking the purple-eyed girl. She blinked in surprise before facing the other woman with a stony stare.  
“Any better?” She asked her curtly, preparing for another angry outburst.  
“Do you care?” Yennefer mumbled in exhaustion, to which Tissaia let out a sigh.  
“Be at the greenhouse in 20 minutes, that is if you’re up for it,” The brunette relayed, her voice strongly conveying she should just stay in bed, before leaving the room to ensure all her new students received the message. 

Yennefer attempted to get up but found her head hurting, no doubt from the blood she had lost. She sank back against the bed with a huff, her wrists stinging as she pulled the cover away from her. After a couple of minutes, she decided to prove her new instructor wrong and pulled herself up from the bed, her first steps to the door rather shaky as she threw it open.

As she regarded the rest of Tissaia’s chambers, the realisation that she had no idea how to get to the greenhouse hit her. She opted to try as many doors in the vicinity as she could, before coming across one unlocked door that led her to the main corridor. She stared around the stone corridor in confusion, where to now?”

Around half an hour later, she stumbled into the right room, her skin once again having become a shade paler as she shook where she stood. Tissaia and her students looked up, the older woman failing to hide her concern as she noticed her ward’s current condition.  
“Piglet, you’re late,” She stated abruptly before gesturing to the table left uninhibited. Yennefer took the hint as she headed to it as steadily as she could, using the table to help keep herself stood. Tissaia swiftly returned to the lesson she was delivering on the balance of magic. Yennefer only listened with half attention, the other half focusing on her dwindling consciousness. The older brunette was swift to notice this, and upon every other student had completed the trial, she dismissed them quickly. Yennefer went to head after them, but was held back by a firm hand enclosed on her shoulder.

“You can wait, piglet,” Tissaia instructed before pointing to a wooden chair in the corner of the room, “And sit on that chair before you pass out. I could do without having to explain to the brotherhood why one of my students has died under my watch on the first day,” Yennefer followed the command, feeling the stare burning into her back as she moved sluggishly before sinking down onto the offered seat.

“Great. Now care to explain exactly why you felt it necessary to drag yourself down here in this sorry state when you could have remained upstairs? If you’re doing all this to simply prove a point then you’re much more petulant than first thought,”  
“As you said, I’m here to learn magic. And the sooner I do that, the sooner I can leave,” Yennefer told her almost angrily, “If you thought I wasn’t up for it, why even wake me, or even purchase me?”

“I brought you here because I could see you had potential to be a great mage, especially considering the portal you managed to use. Not to mention, your ‘father’ is an awful person, yes I know you’re part elf. Now, I woke you so you could decide for yourself what you wished to do, and be back in control, because I’m afraid I cannot let you kill yourself no matter how much you dislike your situation,” Yennefer stared at the ranting woman in surprise, realising her motives were at least not as malicious as she had first assumed of the sorcerer.

“Why do you care so much?” Yennefer asked the one question grating on her mind. The sorcerer let out a brief sigh as she pondered how to answer the question put forward to her.  
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you recover enough to prove whether or not you have what it takes to ascend. If you’re so desperate to leave Aretuza, then that means that you need to recover your health. Come with me,” She commanded before heading out of the room and back to the impromptu room for Yennefer.  
“You only need to stay in this room until I’m confident you’re stable enough to survive and that there’s no chance of infection,” Tissaia told her as she regarded the room, bare except for the bed and a solo chair in the corner.

“Okay. When can I join the lessons?” Yennefer asked her with intrigue, figuring that she wouldn’t be allowed back to lessons at that moment.  
“When you’re able to lift your stone successfully, that should show that you’re recovered enough to use magic safely. Now get some rest before the meal in an hour,” Tissia ordered the girl, who assumed it was easier to do as she was told than to get into an arguing match with the rectoress.  
“What if I can’t lift the stone?” Yennefer questioned. The older woman turned back around to face her, her hand leaving the door handle.

“Then you’ll be sent back to your home. However, I have little doubt you’ll manage it after the portal you managed to conjure up with no training. However, to be able to use magic successfully you’ll need to be in good health, so try to recuperate,” Tissaia ordered before leaving the girl inside to raise her health as much as possible for the impending lessons in the future.


End file.
